Sister's Lament
by Recaria
Summary: Vercillia finds herself fighting for her sisters and her kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

Vercillia and two of her sisters rush down the corridor into their father's bedroom. Two maids and a servant stand around the master bed, rushing about.

Vercillia leads the girls into the room and to their father's side.

"What has happened?" Vercillia yells, her long black hair a frayed mess behind her.

One of the maids withdraws from the small group. "Ma'am, someone has poisoned the king. We are doing all we can to help him."

Calycina, the third sister, begins to whimper in fear for her father. Lonica, the second, places a hand on her younger sister to calm her down.

"Calycina, he has been through worse. He will be fine."

Vercillia looks at her distraught sister. "Lonica, this is not the time."

The maid speaks again, this time more calmly. "Vercillia, your father has requested to speak only to you."

"Why just me?" The maid shrugs and returns to aiding the sickly king.

Vercillia looks again at her sisters. "I guess you two must go out into the hallway?"

Calycina nods and turns to leave, still crying. Lonica hesitates, glaring at Vercillia. She then follows Calycina out of the room.

Vercillia goes to her father's side when they leave.

"Vercillia, my eldest" an old frail voice says. "I will make it through this, so do not fret. I just wanted to talk to you. Just in case things turn out badly, for I have other concerns."

She nods and listens.

Out in the hall, the two girls walk slowly down the path. Calycina is upset still, much quieter than her ranting sister.

Lonica throws her arms into the air. "Why HER?! Why can't he tell us anything?"

Calycina wipes the remaining tears from her cheek. "Lonica… she is the oldest, it makes sense that he would want to speak to only her. She would be first to inherit everything he owns."

The older scoffs. "Yea whatever… just because she's the oldest doesn't mean we have to be left out of everything. Do we even get anything? What about the other six girls? They're not even his!"

Calycina sighs, knowing this rant can go on for a while. She plays with her straight bangs, then adjusting her long black braid cascading down her shoulder.

Lonica's tight black bun is uneven from all the commotion, but she pays no mind.

Suddenly, two other girls rush around the corner. One with dark brown hair covering her right eye and the other, bright white-blonde, approach the sisters.

The blonde speaks. "We heard about father. What is the matter?" The other stays silent.

Lonica huffs, not willing to talk about it anymore. Calycina rolls her eyes at her stubborn sister. "Someone had poisoned him Sodalia, but he should be alright…" she trails off.

The blonde's face turns to sadness. "That's terrible. Is it okay to go see him?" Calycina shakes her head.

"Not right now, Vercillia is in there right now. He wanted to speak to her privately."

Sodalia looks down and nods. "Good thing it's her… and not one of us… no offense but I don't think anyone can handle what she has to deal with, being the oldest."

Calycina forces a smile. "Yes, I believe that. I wouldn't feel fit enough to take up any of his duties. I could hardly keep you out of trouble when we were little. Why, even now!"

All girls laugh except Lonica, who has a look of disgust on her stern face.

Calycina and Sodalia start telling the other girl, Jasper, about when they were little. Lonica turns and slips away without them really noticing. However, Calycina does notice but pays no attention to the absence. She shrugs and takes her younger sisters to the garden.

Lonica returns to the her quarters she shared with the two eldest sisters. She peeks in through the door and sees the room is empty, then rushes into the side room where her bed is and slams the door behind her.

She throws herself onto the bed. The bed sheets become a tangled mess as she has a fit. The decorative pillow is thrown across the room in front of a tall mirror.

Lonica gazes at her reflection, panting heavily.

She glares at herself, getting angrier as she slowly walks up to the mirror.

Her eyes flare with fury as she reels her arm back to punch the reflection, but something stops her.

She stands there, confused. Something in her has changed to make her realize she's overreacting.

Lonica sighs and her arm limps to her side.

"Why is she more than I? Does father not love me too?" she places a hand on the mirror.

Suddenly, her reflection changes into a dark shadowy version of herself. She screams, backing away in fear.

The reflection is her again, this time showing her in fear. Her hair is askew.

She places a hand on her face. "I… I'm seeing things now…"

Footsteps echo outside her room. The door swings open and a young guard runs in, wielding a short sword.

"Princess Lonica, are you alright? I heard you scream!"

Lonica regains her stature, her stern face returning. "I'm alright, I just... " she looks at her messy bed sheets. "Thought I saw a large bug in my bed" she quickly responds. "I guess it was my imagination. Sorry to bother you, Sovil."

Sovil lets out a relieved sigh. "No no, it's alright. I should be the one apologizing. I've been so jumpy since the King was poisoned. I'll leave you be." He bows his head and steps out, closing the door.

Once the door is closed Lonica turns away, grumbling. The mirror looks completely normal.

"I look…. Awful."

She sighs, trying to calm down. "maybe I will just… sleep it off... " she mumbles to herself as she fixes her bed covers.

Lonica neatly makes her bed and lays on top. She stares at the wall thinking about her sisters. "Why her… why…."

She drifts off to sleep within a few minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

Vercillia kisses her father's forehead. "Get some sleep father. Do not stress if you can help it."

He chuckles weakly. "I know, my daughter. I assure you things will be fine, as long as you remember everything I told you about your sisters. I am very worried about Lonica's jealous tendencies."

Vercillia forces a smile. "She has always been like that, Father."

The king takes his daughters delicate hands into his rough palms.

"You must protect her. She is going down a path that I fear will be harmful to all of you girls. Your mother's magic passed on along with her, and thus she could not protect your sister in time. Please, Vercillia. I am not asking you to put yourself in danger, but it may have to come to that eventually."

She stares at the floor and nods silently. Her father pats her hand one last time and lets go.

Vercillia bows to her father and quickly walks out of the room, signaling for the waiting maids to enter.

As the staff hurry to the king's aid once again, Vercillia shuts the door behind them quietly. She sighs to herself.

She turns the corner to a door that leads outside. An outside covered bridge with fantastic pillars on the edges leads to another section of the castle. She peers over the edge of the stone wall, gazing into the garden one story below.

The three of her sisters see her and wave, Calycina holding a red flower.

Vercillia leans on the wall and smiles at her family. She daydreams of her sisters and their futures. A few moments later, a hand on her shoulder startles her. She jumps.

Sovil immediately apologizes and bows his head. "I-I apologize Princess Vercillia! I didn't mean to startle you. I called your name several times when I saw you out here and you didn't respond so-"

She interrupts him by delicately raising a hand. "It's okay, really. I guess I was just not paying attention. I have been thinking about my father, so…" she trails as she looks back at her sisters, whom were talking and laughing.

Sovil follows her gaze, then looks back at her. "Miss Lonica startled me today…"

Vercillia suddenly whips her head around to stare at him. She steps towards him, her bright green eyes glinting in the light of a nearby torch. "What happened. How is she?" She appeared nervous.

Sovil takes a step back, he himself startled by the sudden change. "S-she said she thought she saw a bug in her bed. Ran in with my sword drawn, but I have been on edge from the recent events so I may have made it sound more serious than it actually was."

Vercillia stands straighter, glancing to the side. She then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I have been… very… VERY concerned about her… Father is afraid she is under the influence of something dark. Something Mother probably could have stopped." She stops.

Sovil waits for her to regain herself, knowing full well she can get worked up easily.

"Sovil."

He looks at her. "Yes, Ma'am?"

Vercillia stares him down, sadness in her eyes. "I need to ask something of you."

His expression turns to confusion. "Sure, I am here to serve your family after all."

She smiles faintly and shakes her head. " I… would like you to watch over Lonica. And not how you do your patrols. I mean, watch her much closer than normal. But if something happens… don't go to her, come to me or even my Father. He will know more of what to do than I would."

He rests his hands on his belt. "Of course, Ma'am, it's my job after all-"

Vercillia smirks. "I'm not the Lady yet, don't call me Ma'am. I keep telling you, call me by my name in private."

Sovil laughs softly, giving a short, mock salute. "Yes Ma'am. However, I still feel like your father will find out I'm not formal with you and he will get the wrong idea. Then I'll be sent to the dungeon."

Vercillia laughs. "Now, I don't think he'll go THAT far. He knows we have been great friends since childhood, he must have mercy on you. And if not, I'd have a chat with him."

They hear giggling from the garden and peer over the edge to see the girls looking up at them. Jasper's gaze shies away, but the other two continue to laugh.

Sovil's face turns red. "Well, I-I think I should go. I uh…I'm suppose to be at t-the front gate-... s-so… Goodbye! " He bows, backs up towards the door and turns, bumping into the door.

Vercillia giggles to herself as he makes a fool of himself, fumbling to open and go through the door. She smiles and looks back at her sisters.

"Hey witches, you scared him away."

"Well, we're not sorry, sister!" Sodalia yells.

Vercillia crosses the bridge to the other side and walks down a set of stairs. She steps out of a door in the garden and meets her sisters.

Calycina sits on a stone bench with Jasper as Sodalia runs up to the eldest excitedly. "Vercillia! Are you going to tell him how you feel?"

Vercillia recoils and she blushes with embarrassment. "What?! What do you mean?"

Calycina looks over. "Oh come on, don't think that we haven't noticed. You and the Guard Sovil."

Vercillia turns away to look at the blossoms of a rose bush. "There is nothing more than a friendship. We have been friends since childhood. Besides, Father would never let him near me if it was even like that."

Sodalia scoffs. "Right. Vercillia you're the oldest of all of us. I'm sure he would let you have whomever you please."

Vercillia turns to the fourth eldest. "Even if I had romantic feelings for my FRIEND, how would it even work? He would probably be ashamed to have a woman with higher status than himself. His family is not very wealthy, you know. I wouldn't want that for him."

Sodalia sighs. "Fine. I don't think he would, but I see how set you are." She smirks as she returns to their sisters on the bench. "I can't wait to see if it happens though."

"It won't happen, Sodalia!"

Sodalia laughs triumphantly. "Haha! Just you wait!"


	3. Chapter 3

It is morning, the sun begins to rise. Golden rays outline the bedroom. Lonica lies on her bed and stares at the ceiling.

She slowly sits up. The quiet voice of a woman echoes.

"Lonica. Take back what belongs to you. You are better than Vercillia. She is weak, you are strong."

Lonica suddenly feels as if physical pressure has exited her body. She looks around, startled by the voice. No one was in the room with her, only her thoughts. "Must be my imagination…I must keep imagining it… I must be..."

She gets up and changes into a long, short sleeved dark red dress. Red has always appealed to her, even as a child. Most of her wardrobe was a hue of red or dark violet.

Lonica walks to her door and opens it slowly. Calycina sits on a loveseat by a large stained window, reading. She looks up from her book.

"Lonica!" Calycina whispers loudly. She gets up and goes to her sister. "How are you toda- oh. Lonica, are you alright?"

Lonica stares blankly at Calycina. "What? What do you mean? I'm fine."

"You look like you haven't slept at all, sister."

She steps back into her room and looks at her vanity mirror. Alas, the skin under her eyes were almost as dark as her hair, which was also a mess. It really had looked like she never slept.

"Oh I-I… um…" Lonica picks up her brush and carefully works out a knot in her long bangs. "I look horrible. I guess I didn't sleep."

"Is it because of Father? Because he is going to be just f-"

"It's not because of Father okay!" Lonica huffs.

Calycina steps back from intimidation. "Well then, w-what is wrong? Has something happened?"

Lonica looks down. "I'm fine, okay?" How will her sister react to hearing of voices in her head telling her to harm her family? She wouldn't want to worry anyone by sounding insane.

"Well… just know we're all here for you, you know that, Lonica?" Calycina gives Lonica a reassuring smile.

Lonica does not return the gesture.

Instead, she shoves past Calycina to get out of the room, earning her a look of confusion.

Calycina, hurt by her sister's rejection, stares in disbelief. She watches as the door in front of her slams shut.

One of the three other doors opens. Vercillia steps out of her bedroom. "Was that Lonica who yelled?"

Calycina nods. "Caly… do not let her get to you okay? You know how hot headed she can get."

"I know, but I want to help her. Why won't she open up to us, Verci?"

Vercillia sighs. "I do not know exactly, but what I know is something only Father knows. I cannot explain right now."

Calycina is on the verge of tears. "You mean, you know what is happening, but you cannot tell even me? Your SISTER? She's OUR sister! We all need to know."

Vercillia takes her younger sister's shaky hand, leading her into the hall. "Please, Caly. You must calm down. Don't take it to heart, we cannot determine what is happening yet. I cannot say anything. But I will tell you eventually."

"You are not making sense, sister. Where are you taking me?"

Vercillia gives her sister a sly smirk. "Town. I heard of a new book shop that has opened last week. We can go there and give Lonica her space."

Calycina's golden-hazel eyes light up. "A book shop? That sounds so nice! But… Lonica... " She stops. "She'll… be okay, won't she?"

The eldest gives her sister a reassuring smile. "Of course. I trust she will be strong and overcome her strifes. Give her time. She's never failed to come back to us, has she."

Calycina thinks, then nods. The sisters hug and head down a set of stairs to the main floor. Their Father is in the throne room, strong enough to speak to anyone in the town that needs financial assistance or to start a business.

Both of the girls hug their Father and kiss his forehead before they leave for town, with his permission and two guards of course. Including Sovil.

Lonica heads to the dining room, then sneaks into the kitchen. She peeks around the corner of the entryway. No one is in the kitchen. Breakfast was over an hour ago and Lonica missed it. The head chef always gives his workers time to eat after the royal family have all finished.

Lonica walks into the storage space. Barrels of fresh fruits and vegetables are stored in the very back. She helps herself to an apple. 'I don't think I can handle a full meal after last night' she thinks to herself.

She walks outside as she bites into the apple, looking for family members to avoid. Vercillia and Calycina are seen leaving through the outer garden gates into town with two guards. "Huh… guess they're going into town…"

The apple was gone within minutes, only a measly core was left. Lonica throws it over a wall into the woods beyond. Then, she runs inside. On a chair is a simple brown cloak.

She hastily takes it and covers herself in the oversized cloak, takes a small bag of coins from her father's study nearby, and heads out into the town unseen. Guards only see her as a simple woman heading home after meeting with the king.

In the town, Vercillia and Calycina walk through a large crowd.

"Ladies, slow down." The angry middle aged guard chases the girls, followed by Sovil. The girls stop and giggle, receiving brief waves and greetings from the people of the town.

Vercillia steps up to the older guard. "Mr. Todsen, we aren't children anymore. You do not need to stand over us."

Todsen shakes his head. "I protect you til I die. And frankly, I don't plan on croakin' anytime soon." His gruff voice strains and forces a painful sounding cough. The girls cringe.

Sovil walks up and stands between them. "I think we should at least give them a few extra feet, Sir. They ARE much older now."

Todsen glares at the boy. "Son, ain't I the one who's suppose to order you around?"

The younger takes a step back, but stays planted. "W-well… I mean… We're in the more protected portion of town. So I think maybe-"

Their faces are suddenly two inches apart. "Listen here, boy! I know more than you, and I know how people are! I have been through war! I have seen every criminal there is to see! I have seen terrible things you would never DREAM of! Anyone can walk up to these girls and they'd be gone in an instant, and you'd be the one thrown in the dungeon because of it! You don't want that do you!?" Sovil shakes his head, mostly to keep himself from looking terrified. "Exactly. Now, do as I say and stay within 5 feet of these girls. Do I make myself clear!"

Sovil forces his body to do a shaky salute. "Y-y-yes S-sir!"

Todsen regains his composure. "Good. I don't want to repeat myself ever again. You may be new, but you don't get to disrespect anyone here. Watch yourself. Now, go lead them through the crowd into the market."

Sovil says nothing more. Instead, he walks between the girls as Todsen follows. Sovil guides them through the safest route until they reach a circle of stores protected by other guards.

"Sovil, do you have my coin pouch?" He looks at Vercillia and hands her a small leather pouch.

"Right here, _Madam"_ he says with mischief in his eyes.

Vercillia rolls hers and thanks him.

Todsen approaches Sovil again. "Alright, son. This area is protected. But you still stay with them."

Sovil nods. Vercillia leads them all into a building. Calycina gasps in wonder at the stock of the new library. "Wow! There's so much more here!"

"I told you so, sister." Vercillia laughs as Calycina wanders aimlessly, bumping into an older woman and apologizing profusely. The woman smiles and bows.

"It is alright dear. Why, you two must be the Princesses I have heard about, you both are even more beautiful than I have heard! I am Branta, I own this store."

Vercillia perks up at her title. "Hello Miss Branta! Lovely to meet you. Your accent, are you by chance from the mountains?"

Branta smiles. "Why yes, I am. Just travelled here with my son and daughter, Rhyn and Ardea. We were unable to keep our home in our village, so we moved down here to start fresh."

A young man and woman walk out from a back room, bickering. They are obviously identical twins, both having brown wavy hair and similar facial structures. Rhyn wears a white long sleeved shirt with a dark blue vest and darker blue pants. Ardea's knee length dress is teal with a worn grey apron.

"Children, come meet some of the local Royal Family! What are your names dears?"

Vercillia looks at her sister, who is staring at Rhyn. "My name is Vercillia, and this is my younger sister Calycina. These are our guards, Todsen and Sovil."

They all exchange greetings. However, the staring between Calycina and Rhyn causes Todsen to step between them, holding a calloused hand out to the boy. Rhyn shakes the man's hand, cradling his nearly broken fingers afterwards. "Nice to meet you, welcome to town" the gruff voice says.

Vercillia clears her throat, then turns to Branta. "My sister loves to read, so I thought I would bring her here today. Are your books available to the public yet?"

Branta laughs cheerfully. "No no, not yet. But for you, dear Calycina, you may look all you want before anyone else can. Alas, you can do anything you wish, for you are higher than we."

Calycina, blushing since they all introduced each other, bows to the woman. "N-no, I cannot. Y-you must have more organizing to do. I will come back when you officially open."

"Nonsense, dear. We have everything in order, just some things to do in the back room. All we need to do is request a verification from the King and we are open for business. So please, look at all you like. And I won't take no for an answer, your highness."

Calycina beams. "Oh! Th-thank you Ma'am! Vercillia, thank you for bringing me!" She squeezes Vercillia and rushes to get a good look at the shelves.

Vercillia smiles at her happy sister. "Things have not been happy at home, so I thank you for letting us into your store. Books make her happy."

Branta raises a brow. "Not a problem, dear. If I may I ask, what has happened?"

Vercillia looks to the side. "Oh, nothing too extreme. Our other sister has had some… problems lately, and Caly has been worried sick about her. It's nice to see her distracted."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I hope things turn out for the better. I would hate to see this poor girl frown, she is such a cheerful soul."

"Yes. She is. She has always been like that, so optimistic." Vercillia looks out the window at another store.

"Oh, the jewelry shop! I wanted to go see their shipment this month."

Calycina stops and looks at her sister. "Do we have to leave?"

Vercillia shakes her head. "No, you can stay here. I'll go over there and see what they have."

Todsen grumbles. "No, you will stay within my sight. "

Vercillia glares at him, then glances at Sovil. "He can go with me."

"-! I do not trust him alone with you! He is new and-"

"And he's my friend. I have known Sovil since childhood, I trust he will take care of me. Even more so since it is now his job. And you should trust him too. He has more potential than you are willing to see."

Todsen stops for a moment, then speaks softer. "Very well. Sovil. Stay with her. Do NOT let her out of your sight, understand?"

Sovil nods. "Yes sir, of course."

Vercillia then drags him out of the shop with a wave to Calycina. They carefully walk over to the jewelry shop.

"Oh gosh, I didn't think I would make it out alive today. He has been watching me like a hawk since your father got sick. Probably thinks I did it."

Vercillia laughs quietly. "Hey, you're welcome. I know how tough he can be, his wife was our nanny, and she was the same way."

"Hah, wow. How did you end up so polite?"

Vercillia gives a sly smirk. "I'm not. I just know how to work people."

Sovil rolls his eyes.

"So did you see the way that boy looked at my sister?"

"Uh, yea I guess. She was staring back too. Do you think maybe-"

"Of course she likes him! He is a charming young man, I admit. Cute, just like her. I believe they clicked."

Sovil opens the door for the princess. "Isn't that against your father's wishes though? That none of you can be with someone who is not already rich or royalty?"

Vercillia nods to him and walks inside, a young salesman appears from behind his counter. "Oh, I don't believe Father would mind if any of us marry who we wish. He likes to enforce stereotypical monarchy rules, but never goes through with them. Mother's father was not a king, but he married into my grandmother's upper class family."

The salesman appears in front of them. "Ah, a young couple! Here to size for a wedding ring? I hear lots of marriage talk!"

Both of them panic. "No no! It's not like that!" they both stammer at the same time.

They look at each other then look away in embarrassment.

"Ah, so no wedding? My apologies! I assumed you two were engaged, based on the way you walked in! But you must be a couple, correct?"

"No!"

"Oh, well. You would make a good match."

Vercillia, red with rage, speaks as calmly as she can muster. "H-he. Is. My. Guard. I am Princess Vercillia."

The salesmans eyes go wide. "O-oh! Princess I- I'm so sorry I-" he bows his head. "Please, I had no idea!"

Vercillia calms down enough to laugh. "It's okay, really. Now, I would like to just browse your new monthly shipment."

The man quickly rushes behind the counter and places a small crate on the top, removing small fancy items to put in a display fit for a princess.

"H-here we have a lovely blue opal necklace. As you can see, it's markings and gold lining indicate it was handcrafted by a professional artisan over 100 years ago. I bought this at auction for around 300 coins. I just had to have it in my store. However, for you, Princess, I will half the price."

He takes out a few more items. "And here we have a ruby ring, a sapphire pendant, a large pair of amethyst earrings, and much more! Some of these items were recovered from an abandoned castle way up north, in the heart of the Ice Lands."

Vercillia admires each piece of jewelry. "Wow, these are truly amazing. I cannot imagine what they are worth."

"Oh! They are being sold at a much lower price than you think!" He suddenly sweats nervously. "T-they are on sale for one week only!"

Vercillia eyes the man suspiciously. "Why are they so cheap? Is something wrong with them?"

He sweats even more. "U-uh… n-no! They are perfectly perfect, as you can see!" A hard swallow breaks the sudden silence.

"How do I know you are not lying? Because you appear to be."

The man sighs. "I cannot sell anything here in THIS town. No one but royalty is rich enough to pay for what I bought. I never intended to buy anything this expensive, but I was scammed!" He appears to have lost the little sanity he had.

"Scammed huh? Well i suggest you either go to another city or sell them back."

"I can't do that! I promised the man who found these items I would pay him very well, and I did. But, I didn't realize he would run off with the real gems!"

Sovil tunes in. "Wait, so these are fake?"

The man stops. "I… I… please don't arrest me! I need this income to take care of my wife and three young children! I already kept the bankruptcy from them, I cannot take care of them in prison." He's a wreck.

Vercillia frowns then places 5 coins on his counter. "Leave this town. Go to a big city and pawn the materials. You are not deep enough to have broken any shop rules yet, but you will if you stay longer. Do not buy anything more than half your income. Do you understand?"

The man stares in disbelief. "I… I…. Y-yes! I do! Yes I understand!"

"Okay. Now go and tell your family before Father finds out. I'd say you have a week to get to the city before they take note of your bankruptcy. Your family will be fine. Now go, waste no time."

"But who will run my store-"

"Find someone."

The man nods hesitantly and shoos the other two customers out of the store and grabs the precious jewelry, Vercillia and Sovil walk outside, and he locks the shop.

"Thank you Princess! I will do as you say!"

Vercillia crosses her arms. "Do not disappoint me, I will come back in two weeks."

The man bows several times before running off.

Sovil's jaw drops. "What just happened-"

Vercillia watches the man run frantically around town. "Business."


	4. Chapter 4

"Wow, Vercillia. I wasn't expecting for you to fix a man's life today." Sovil and Vercillia stroll through the market.

She shrugs. "Well neither was I. I only wanted to look at necklaces and such, but I couldn't let him suffer if I'm aware of the system. Father is strict with shops that import like that."

"Ah. I see. Still, it was strange how he reacted so suddenly."

"He has been hiding it for days, and I believe as soon as I started talking about the system he broke, knowing I could fix or harm his business."

Sovil stops and stares at her in shock. "You know all that from just talking to him?"

Vercillia stops, looks at a market stall's wares, then turns back to him. "Of course, Father tells me I am very good at spotting details about people. If I really look, I can see if someone is lying, holding in grief, or like with Calycina, attraction."

Sovil stares blankly at her. "O-oh yea? T-that's cool."

She doesn't notice his stammering and looks down at handmade quilts. "Yes. That's why Father wants me to watch out for Lonica. If my sisters know, they will get in the way of me finding out what has happened with her." She holds up two quilts and looks at him.

He looks between the two quilts and thinks for a moment. He points to the one on his left and she beams, admiring it.

"Please don't tell my sisters. I will tell them eventually, but not anytime soon. They'll snoop in an attempt to help and Lonica may manipulate them." Vercillia hands the lady vendor a few coins. The lady bows.

The two walk away with the beautiful blue quilt. "Sodalia will love this. It's her birthday present."

"Haha so you had me pick out your sister a gift?"

Vercillia shrugs. "It's from the both of us then."

Sovil laughs to himself then analyzes the area. "I promise to keep it a secret."

"Thank you… I really owe you one."

They stroll down the main road of town which surprisingly has very little people. "Where is everyone? Is there an event today?"

Sovil shrugs. "I don't think so. It might just be lunch break. Who knows."

Vercillia fidgets with the quilt in her arms, folding it neatly. She begins to wonder about her family, especially Lonica.

Lonica sneaks around town and hides her semi-famous face from every person that she walks by.

She makes her way to the other side of town. A hidden door between two small buildings catches her eye.

Something inside her urges her on. Trinkets and herbs greet her as she enters.

Lonica looks around, wondering why she was compelled to barge into this room unannounced and uninvited.

She picks up a strange looking root, observing its structure.

"It is rude to touch other people's things without permission."

Lonica drops the root and looks around. "T-that voice…."

"Yes, I called you here. And yes, I am the exact voice you are thinking of." A tiny, frail old woman shuffles out from behind a shelf, her twisted root staff clicking on the cold stone floor. Her face has seen better days.

"Who are you? Why have you called me here? How do you yell so loudly that no one else hears?"

A wrinkly hand roughly grabs hers. The old woman inspects it, nearly pulling Lonica to the ground.

"Hate. Misery. Loathing. These are just a few of the emotions I can feel and see from you."

"What do you mean? Who are you!"

The woman's eyes, mysterious and indecisive of what color they want to be, narrow at the young princess. "Your… sister… Vercillia is it?"

Lonica feels a sense of dread enter her body.

"Yes. You loathe her. And Calycina."

"You never answered my question! Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"Calm, my child." Her eerie voice sends chills down Lonica's spine. "I am here to… help you. I can help you obtain what is yours, and get rid of what has fallen in your path."

Lonica relaxes, for she had unknowingly tensed her shoulders. 'Maybe I can trust her… she seems nice enough…'

"Alright. How… how are you able to help me? I am having personal strife and-"

"You are suffering. You only want your kingdom. Your sisters stand in the way, your naive sisters. Most of them are not even your blood, so why do they inherit anything at all?"

Lonica can feel her consciousness turn cloudy. "I…. You're right. They're mostly all adopted refugees from other kingdoms. Why does Father trust them over me?" A tear rolls down her cheek.

The old woman wipes her tear away and gives her a scary, toothy smile. "You can let me help you, my sweet child. No one deserves to be cast away such as how you are. I don't even believe the King even loves you. Obviously, he loves Vercillia more than anything."

Tears flood to the floor. Lonica soon follows. The cloak lays over her body, covering her sobs. "Why. Why!"

The old woman holds out her hand. "Accept my assistance."

Lonica looks up at her, wiping away her tears and makeup. A few moments go by before she greedily takes the old woman's cold hand.

A strange sense flows over Vercillia.

Sovil places a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Vercillia looks at him. "Yes. I'm fine. Just had a strange feeling is all… Maybe we should start to head home. I'm sure Calycina is almost finished."

Sovil nods and follows her back to the bookstore. "Um… Vercillia…"

"Yes?"

"Um… you said you can tell when someone is, I dunno, lying or… attracted to someone."

She gives him a strange look. "...yyyyyea?"

He clears his throat. "Ahem well, you haven't noticed anything strange when we left your sister, have you?"

Vercillia is clueless. "No? Was there something you noticed?"

He waves his arms, something he does when he's nervous. "No no, I was just wondering." She inspects him closer.

"Alright…" she says suspiciously.

Calycina waves as her sister leaves, holding a large book she found.

Todsen leans against the wall near her, tense. "Be careful, Princess. They're new in town."

Calycina glances at Rhyn behind the counter, talking to his sister. He moves a crate of new books to the countertop and catches her gaze. He raises his hand in a shy wave.

She smiles at him and they both look away. Todsen groans.

"He looks suspicious."

"No he doesn't."

He huffs and crosses his beefy arms to look as intimidating as possible.

Rhyn slowly approaches Calycina. "S-so… You're one of the princesses, huh?"

Todsen glares at him, but Calycina glares back. The guard gives up and walks to the other side of the store.

Calycina plays with her braid. "Yea…" she mumbles as she gives a little bow.

Rhyn stiffens up. "O-oh! Um... " He bows too. "M-may I ask… why you are in such a public setting?"

Calycina blushes a little when she hears his accent. "My sister wanted to show me the store, so I came along."

"So you aren't bound to the castle?"

"Only with Father's permission. We cannot leave without issuing at least one guard per girl."

"Uh… how many of you are there?"

Calycina thinks. "Twelve."

Rhyn searches through the books. "Wow. That's a lot of sisters. I can barely handle one."

She shrugs. "I mean, not all of us are blood related. Only three of us are royal blood. The rest are adopted or refugee orphans. Father opened up the castle to children of fallen soldiers after the war 15 years ago calmed down."

Rhyn tenses up. "O-oh…" He relaxes and takes a book off the shelf and hands it to her.

"I like this one. It was written by a local man from our village, so it was never publicized."

She takes it and looks at the front cover. A strange dragon-like animal is delicately painted onto the rough surface.

"It's a Far-Eastern story about a young queen who is turned into a mixture of all of the symbolic animals of her culture and travels all around the world to find a cure. I don't know what you like, but I know I like it."

Calycina's face beams. "That sounds awesome! I really love fictional things like this!"

Rhyn smiles warmly at the cute girl in front of him. "Some say it is a true story. It's an old legend from that part of the world. But this specific book is just the author's take on the story."

"Wow you're really passionate about this kind of stuff aren't you? With books and all." She covers the bottom half of her face with the book.

He blushes and smiles wider. "W-well…. I guess yea, I really like to read and paint what my mind sees."

"You paint too!?" Calycina holds the book downwards, beaming with excitement. He nods timidly. "That's amazing!"

"Yes, he's quite the lover of fine arts." Ardea walks up and pats her brother on the back. "Been drawing as long as I can remember."

Ardea smiles and bows. "I'm Ardea. Sorry I didn't come out sooner, I was cleaning up back there. Found this, dear brother of mine." She pulls out a small sketchbook from behind her.

Rhyn snatches it quickly and blushes, making a fool of himself in front of a pretty girl.

Ardea laughs. "He's really good at it. You should stop by again after we unpack his big paintings. They're beautiful."

Calycina eyes the sketchbook. "Ooooooo…. M-may I see something?"

He looks at the cute tiny girl in front of him. "Oh uh… s-sure… there isn't much in this book, but…" He flips through a few pages. "Ah. I like this one."

He turns it towards Calycina. She gasps. Before her stands a gorgeous outline of a flower with rounded petals. It is shaded lightly with pink and white tints to act as shadow and highlight.

Rhyn clears his throat awkwardly. "It still needs work, but I'm going to use this as a template for another painting."

Calycina smiles brightly. "It's beautiful! I have tried my hand at drawing but it never comes out right. My younger sisters are the artists. But please, I would love to see this as a painting. You have a great talent, Rhyn."

A light blush dusted his cheeks. 'Wow' Calycina thought. 'He is cute when he blushes.'

She realizes what just went through her head and looks away. 'What was THAT."

"P-Princess, please. Do come back when it's finished. It may take a few weeks, but I'll be done before Winter definitely." It was currently early Fall.

Calycina giggles. "Yes, please. I can't wait to see it. But don't feel pressured, take as long as you need."

Ardea waves her hand. "Oh pish-posh, he paints fast." He nudges her in the stomach. "Ow! What, it's true…"

Calycina laughs at the twins acting like usual siblings. The front door opens and Vercillia steps in with Sovil close behind.

Vercillia walks up to her sister, quilt in hand. "Hello sister! Did you find some neat books?"

Calycina nods, holding the one Rhyn handed her. "He suggested this one."

Branta steps into the room wiping her hands on a rag. "You may check it out then- oh, is that the Eastern folktale book Rhyn?"

Rhyn nods. "Oh, are you sure sweetie? It's your only copy." He nods again.

"It's fine, trust her," he says as he looks at Calycina.

She holds the book tightly in her arms. "Oh I'll take good care of it! Really I will, I always keep good track of my books."

Branta writes something on a sheet of paper. "Okay then, it's in your name, Princess." She laughs.

Rhyn smiles. "Keep it as long as you want Calycina."

She thanks him. Then she turns to Vercillia. "Oh, that's a lovely quilt."

Vercillia unfolds it halfway. "Yes, I bought it at a market stall. I thought Sodalia would like it for her birthday. Sovil and I picked it out."

They look at Sovil, and he raises his arms in a "I didn't have anything to do with this" position.

Calycina laughs. "I think it's perfect for her."

"Well, I think if you're done here then we should head home, Father invited officials to dinner again."

Calycina groans. "Again? Alright, we should get ready then." She turns to the twins. "Thank you for the book!"

She shakes Ardea's hand. Then she and Rhyn awkwardly shake hands. "Thank you for the book suggestion, Rhyn."

He smiles. "N-no problem. G-goodbye Princesses."

They all wave and they head back to the castle.

Once outside, Vercillia lightly bumps Calycina's arm. "So?"

"So what?"

"I think that boy, Rhyn, likes you."

Calycina blushes and laughs. "No, no no… I don't think so…"

Vercillia smiles big. "Well, I think so."

Calycina rolls her eyes and looks at her sister and sees Sovil. She smiles to herself when he sees her looking at him and steps away from Vercillia. It was a peaceful walk home.


End file.
